


“I had a bad dream again.”

by evakuality



Series: tumblr dialogue prompts [8]
Category: SKAM (Norway)
Genre: Canon Compliant, M/M, Near Future, a little melancholy maybe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-15
Updated: 2019-08-15
Packaged: 2020-09-01 08:13:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 910
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20254984
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/evakuality/pseuds/evakuality
Summary: A prompt from a new list on tumblr: Hi! 😊 94 for Evak if you want to ❤In which Even wakes from a bad dream and becomes a little introspective.





	“I had a bad dream again.”

It’s 3am and Even can’t sleep. Or, to put it more accurately, he can’t get  _ back _ to sleep _ . _ It was another of those nights, plagued with insubstantial, swarming fears and anxieties. Ones that attacked from the shadows and disappeared again leaving nothing behind but an uneasy whisper of memory and a pounding heart. He lies, staring at the ceiling, trying to quiet his harsh, rasping breaths. The sound is loud in the stillness of the room, and Even is acutely aware of Isak next to him in the bed. He doesn’t want to rob him of precious sleep, knows how hard it can be for him to fall back to sleep again once he wakes in the middle of the night. Ironically, it’s usually Even who’s in that situation, with Isak trying to avoid making noise. It’s usually Isak who wakes from nightmares to a pounding heart and too-loud breaths in the quiet of a long night.

Even clutches the sheet beneath him, the rough fibres against his fingers grounding him and reminding him of the mundane reality of the here-and-now. It’s almost enough, banishes some of the more fanciful parts of the dreams. He takes in a shuddery breath, the air still hitching in his throat as he tries to calm himself, and chances a look sideways to where Isak is lying on his belly, with his head pillowed on his arm and barely brushing the actual pillow so tilted is it towards Even’s side of the bed. He looks peaceful and calm, his eyelids fluttering restlessly, the lashes fanning in time with their unsteady beat, and his mouth propped open as he snuffles in his sleep. just one look at him is enough to release some of the tension that’s been sitting in Even’s body. He loosens his fingers from their desperate grasp on the sheet, takes one final shaky breath in, and turns in the bed so he can stare at Isak properly.

This makes Even feel like something of a creep. It’s not like Isak is consenting to be examined in this way, after all, and Even can’t exactly wake him to get permission, not when he’s finally sleeping so well. But the soft cozy feeling that sets up residence in his chest pushes that unwelcome thought away. The nameless worries of the dream fade further at the sight of Isak’s face, moonlight glinting off the gold of his curls and casting a pale, almost ethereal glow over his features. He’s so relaxed, in a way that he often isn’t during the day. Even smiles, resists the urge to reach out and run his fingers over the cheeks and along the jaw. He may not be able to sleep, but that doesn’t mean Isak should suffer too, and Even knows him well enough to know that even the slightest touch is enough to make him stir.

“Staring is weird,” Isak murmurs as if in response to that thought. A small smile appears at the corners of his lips and his eyelids flutter harder as he struggles into full wakefulness. 

Even’s heart stills in his chest for a moment, then starts again, thudding harder than it had when he first woke. He fucked up and Isak’s now awake too. He’d tried to hard to be quiet, but when he’d become lost in the glories of Isak’s face, he must have been louder than he’d thought. Pained shame floods him, leaving an uncomfortable heat tingling through his chest and into his face.

“I’m sorry,” Even says, contrite. “I didn’t want to wake you.”

“‘S’okay,” Isak mutters, his eyes still closed and a thick quality of sleep in his voice. “I was awake anyway.”

Even laughs softly, gives in to the urge to touch, and lets his fingers trace the contours of Isak’s face. Forehead. Nose. Cheeks and lips. Isak shuffles, his face leaning into the soft touch as if chasing comfort. 

“Why were you awake?” Even whispers.

“I had a bad dream again.”

That makes Even snort in bitter amusement. Of course he did. It was foolish for Even to think that Isak had escaped the almost-nightly dreams that come for him. Still, there’s a camaraderie in knowing they both got affected the same way tonight. “Me too,” he says, acknowledging the connection. 

The gentle peace of the conversation settles his heart rate again, and he smiles. The dreams slide even further away as Isak’s eyes open and he, too, smiles. It’s a weak one, filled with a lingering memory of the dream. Even can feel his own slip in response. Seeming to understand, Isak moves in closer and wraps his arm around Even’s shoulder, pulling him in until they’re both connected from shoulder to toe, faces tucked out of sight in each other’s neck. They breathe together, sharing the space in a newly minted silence. There’s no need for any further words. It’s understood. They’re in this together, reluctantly awake in the unwelcome quiet of a dark moment before an early dawn.

It’s warm, though, here in that embrace, and Isak’s breath is gentle on Even’s neck. He can feel his own body, tugging him back towards sleep, and notices the way Isak’s body also relaxes into the moment. He smiles, this one more genuine, as he gives in to that tug, feeling consciousness slipping away. 

Their dreams can try to disrupt their nights, but when they’re here together like this, those dreams have no true power.


End file.
